East Tennessee State University researchers led by associate professor Matthew Zahner say their lab is mapping neural circuits that control autonomic function after spinal cord injury and testing ways to restore regulation. In an ETSU profile, Zahner’s team described using chemogenetics and targeted viral microinjections to jump-start specific neural connections and reduce dangerous blood-pressure spikes known as autonomic dysreflexia.

Autonomic dysreflexia is a rapid, often life‑threatening rise in blood pressure triggered by routine events such as a full bladder in people with spinal cord injury. Zahner used a plain metaphor in the profile: “After a few minutes, it goes from ‘this is bad’ to ‘oh, this really is going to be a problem,’” he said.

Chemogenetics, which Zahner’s lab describes as the use of designer receptors and specific drugs to control defined neuron populations, is central to the work. The lab applies viral microinjections to deliver those receptors to precise cell groups, then uses the matching compound to activate or suppress them. ETSU’s profile emphasizes the approach as a way to re-establish the body’s “brake” signals that normally restrain blood-pressure rises.

The team also reported finding an inhibitory role for the locus coeruleus in certain conditions. The brainstem nucleus is typically associated with increasing arousal and stress. Zahner’s group said that specific stimulation patterns there can instead inhibit the stress response and lower blood pressure, a finding they highlighted for its potential relevance to veterans with chronic stress or PTSD.

ETSU noted Zahner’s lab holds multiple NIH grants and that students and technicians power much of the work. The profile links ongoing projects across autonomic recovery, sleep apnea, and post‑myocardial ischemia cardiovascular risk, but does not cite a peer‑reviewed publication for the locus coeruleus result.

“If you do everything that’s expected to you perfectly, that makes you perfectly average,” Zahner told the university. The profile frames the lab’s goal as translating circuit‑level manipulations into therapies that reduce cardiovascular risk after neurological injury.

Photo credit: easttennessean.com

Tags: spinal cord injury, autonomic dysreflexia, chemogenetics, locus coeruleus, PTSD cardiovascular risk

Topics: Neuromodulation, Neuroscience & neuroplasticity, Stress, focus & mental clarity